Heading into next season, Manchester City will be aiming to tie several of their important figures to long-term contracts.
City would dread to be in a situation where they leave the contract negotiations too late and let other clubs poach some of their most instrumental figures.
For instance, Kevin De Bruyne only has one left year on his current deal and even though Pep Guardiola confirmed there have been no offers for his signature, Manchester City could ideally be considering extending his contract if he returns to his absolute best next season.
Similarly, the likes of John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ederson Moraes and Bernardo Silva have only two years left on their respectively contracts.
A huge priority for the Premier League winners would at least be securing the long-term futures of most of the aforementioned names.
On the other hand, if the Sky Blues feel like selling some of these players, it is key for them to come to that decision as soon as possible to plot how to replace them.
A lack of decisiveness in contract situations often leads to clubs being in dire situations where exits become inevitable and at the last minute, they have far too much on their plates in terms of such negotiations.
Furthermore, it would be a massive risk to kickstart such conversations when the figure in question’s contract is set to run out in a few months as they could feel that their presence at the Etihad Stadium is not valued highly.
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Journalist shares how likely he thinks Pep Guardiola is to extend Man City contract
But aside from the players at City’s disposal, potentially their biggest worry is that Pep Guardiola’s contract expires in 2025; a daunting reality that could lead the club to consider persuading him to extend as their priority.
Recently, Guardiola admitted he has not ruled out the prospect of extending his contract, however.
The £378,846-a-week man clarified that his comments about being closer to leaving than staying at the club after Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final last season did not indicate that he had made up his mind.
Instead, the Catalan claimed that the reality of the situation is that he is not set to stay at City for another eight years, which explains his statement after his side’s shock loss at the Wembley Stadium in May.
Speaking to The Times’ The Game podcast, journalist Paul Hirst revealed that he is split about how likely he feels it is for Pep Guardiola to sign a contract extension at Manchester City.
“I’m really torn, kind of 50-50 whether he will stay or not. Towards the end of last season, I would have said, 70-30, he’ll go. But the way he’s been talking in pre-season, he just seems like he’s kind of got his mojo back again.”
“He’s got the love for the club again and when he sees the title challenge that’s coming from Arsenal, he wouldn’t want to leave in a hurry, he’ll see this as a challenge to assert his dominance. It’ll be interesting to see how that one plays out in the last few weeks.”
The Man City players could lead Pep Guardiola to extend his contract by doing one thing
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City’s latest loss to Barcelona in a penalty shootout, Pep Guardiola said via HaytersTV, ”I want to be sure it’s the right decision. Not just for me but for the club, it’s the right decision for the players, still, they run like they already run [for] eight years, it doesn’t matter [what] the competition [is], it doesn’t matter the tournament and this is what I have to see and that’s all.”
As Pep Guardiola mentions observing whether the Manchester City players run next season as much as they have during his tenure, the potential implication he could be making is to judge whether they are still willing to give their all for him.
Guardiola seems to hint that as he enters his ninth season as City boss, he wishes to assess whether his players remain as motivated by his demands as they have been all these years.
Even a manager of the Catalan’s ilk could potentially feel the need to walk away if he gets the sense that his players are in need of a new voice to spur them on.
Furthermore, Pep Guardiola, like any manager would also like to manage a group of players who are fully committed to his plans.
While there is no guarantee about whether one factor could lead Guardiola to put pen to paper, he could potentially be steered in that direction if he feels his players remain as committed to him as they always have been by being willing to put their bodies on the line for him next season.
